


A Love Nearly Lost

by WritingAngelMarie



Category: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Beyblade
Genre: Admiration, Dating, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, Love, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27594298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingAngelMarie/pseuds/WritingAngelMarie
Summary: Kai reunites with Wyatt after his near-death experience, and they confess their feelings for each other.
Relationships: Hiwatari Kai & Minami Yuuya, Hiwatari Kai / Wyatt Smithwright, Hiwatari Kai/ Minami Yuuya | Wyatt Smithwright
Kudos: 3





	A Love Nearly Lost

“These are for you, kid.”

Wyatt was sitting up in his hospital bed, as Kai handed him a bouquet of flowers. Kai had been wanting to check on Wyatt ever since he was hospitalized after his battle with Dunga, but with all the commotion with Team Psykick, he never got the chance. Now that the enemy was defeated, Kai could finally visit his friend, who has been constantly in his thoughts. With her knowledge of the language of flowers, Hilary recommended the best flowers for Kai to include in his bouquet. Thankfully, Tyson’s grandfather happened to have just the right flowers in his garden, and he had no qualms against giving them to a friend in need. 

“Thank you so much, Kai!” Wyatt exclaimed with tears in his eyes, as he took the bouquet. He was so happy to see that the boy he admired had come to see him. It meant the world to him.

“How are you feeling?” Kai asked, as he leaned on the rail at the foot of Wyatt’s bed. “I heard you should be able to go home soon.”

“I feel great!” he announced, feeling even better now that Kai was there. “They say I get to go home in a few days, and I can’t wait.”

“That’s great to hear,” Kai replied with a subtle smile. “So I was thinking… When you get out…”

Wyatt gazed wide-eyed at Kai, wondering what he was going to say.

“Wanna train with me?” Kai offered, “as my apprentice?”

Wyatt jumps up and captures Kai in a tight embrace. “Would I!!” 

Kai gently wraps his arms around Wyatt. It’s a gesture he hasn’t done frequently in his life, but… nearly losing Wyatt taught him to appreciate him. He was so thankful that he’s alive. 

The day came when Wyatt would leave the hospital. Instead of waiting in their meeting spot like they planned, Kai figured Wyatt would appreciate it if he came to pick him up. As Wyatt exited the building, Kai stood in front of his family’s limousine, awaiting him.

“Kai!” The brightest smile emerged on Wyatt’s face, as he ran up to Kai with such energy, that anyone passing by would think he’d never been sick a day in his life. He embraced Kai in another bear hug. It took Kai a second to realize that he didn’t mind getting hugged by Wyatt. He briefly patted the boy on the back, afraid to make a scene in front of his limo driver. He let go and held one of the doors open for his friend.

“Wow, I’ve never been in a real limousine before!” Wyatt announced as he scooted over to the far seat to make room for Kai.

“First time for everything, huh, kid?” Kai mused with a smile as he positioned himself beside Wyatt, realizing this is the first time he’s felt close enough to hug someone. While the car drove closer to their destination, Kai looked out the window, pondering his new feelings. Wyatt snuck glances at Kai, like he always did when they were at school. It’s been so long since he’s seen him. He missed seeing that fair profile and those thick black lashes. 

They arrived at their destination, which was the usual Beyblading spot by the river. They beybattled over and over. Kai taught his apprentice new moves every round. Before they knew it, it was getting late. The sun was setting, and over the hill, the skyline adopted an orange hue. The other kids had left to go home for dinner, but Kai and Wyatt didn’t want it to end. 

“You’re smiling,” Wyatt observed, during their battle.

“So?” Kai asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you really smile before, Kai,” the brown haired boy explains. “It’s nice.”

Kai responds with his signature scoff. “Don’t get sappy.” He tried to remain neutral, but he couldn’t hide it. Wyatt had an effect on him. During the time his classmate was hospitalized, Kai had been thinking about him almost nonstop. He had thought back on the time they spent together in class and how Kai had always brushed him off like a fly. After he wasn’t around anymore, Kai realized that school, and life, felt empty without him. He missed having him around. Kai always thought he could be content as long as he had worthy opponents to keep him from being bored, but that wasn’t enough to fight away his feelings of regret and longing to see Wyatt again. Now that he’s back, Kai feels almost overwhelmed with relief and happiness that he doesn’t know how to process it. 

Wyatt knocked Dranzer out of the ring, snapping Kai back to the present. But it was too late. Wyatt’s blade had accidentally pushed Dranzer so hard that it flew into the river.

“Shit!” Kai cursed, as he realized what was going on. If he had been aware of his surroundings, Dranzer would’ve been able to withstand the attack and wouldn’t have gone flying like that.

“Wyatt, no!” Kai yelled, but it was too late. Before Kai could move, Wyatt had jumped into the river, fully clothed, to retrieve Dranzer. After a minute, Kai expects to see Wyatt coming back up, but there’s no sight of him.

“No,” Kai thinks aloud, “don’t tell me he can’t swim!” He removes his scarf and plunges in after him. Under the water, his eyes open wide, as he sees Wyatt unconscious against the rocks. He might’ve hit his head. Kai quickly swims over, grabs him, and pulls him up to land. He lays him on his back and lightly slaps his cheek. “Wyatt, you okay?” he asks, with no response. “Come on, kid, speak to me.”

With a cough, Wyatt opens his eyes slowly. “I… saved Dranzer,” he says, leading Kai’s eyes down to Wyatt’s clenched fist, where the Beyblade is nestled safely. 

“Wyatt, you idiot!” Kai yells. His eyes get a little teary. “You can’t swim, and you’d risk your life to save my Beyblade?”

Wyatt props himself up on his elbows. The water dripped off of his hair onto his smooth cheeks. “Of course. Dranzer means the world to you, doesn’t it?”  _ And you mean the world to me, _ Wyatt thought to himself.

Kai was so mad that Wyatt would be stupid enough to do this for him, but at the same time… He wanted to kiss him. 

Afraid of betraying his feelings, Kai quickly got up and turned around. “Let’s go,” he says, back in his usual stoic voice, “That’s enough training for one day.”

After dropping Wyatt off at his house, Kai lay in bed, thinking about the day’s events. There was no use denying it now. He  _ likes  _ Wyatt…  _ loves  _ him, even. He’s never felt this way about anyone before. Not even Tyson. Sure, he was attached to Tyson as an adversary, but… that wasn’t love. Not like this. Wyatt showed him how it felt for someone to genuinely admire and love him. 

Kai thought back on Wyatt’s advances and realized that’s what they were: advances. From the start, Wyatt wanted something stronger than simple friendship from Kai. Wyatt presented it as a Beyblader’s admiration and desire to get stronger, but… the way he clung to him… the way he kept looking at Kai when he thought he wasn’t looking… the way he hugged him every chance he got. It was unmistakable. Wyatt liked Kai from the beginning. It took nearly losing Wyatt to make Kai realize that he returned his feelings. Kai feared losing him again. He almost lost him again today. There was no time to waste. Tomorrow, he would tell Wyatt how he feels.

The Hiwatari limousine picked up Wyatt from his house. Wyatt had his usual cheerful smile on today. As he looked out the window of the vehicle, he noticed they were taking a different route from before. Kai was keeping it a secret, but he had found a romantic, secluded spot to confess his feelings to Wyatt. 

“Where are we going?” The curious boy asked.

“You’ll see,” The gray haired one replied, simply.

They arrived in a place full of greenery. When they got out of the car, they walked down a little lane, surrounded by hydrangea bushes on both sides. Kai hoped Wyatt would find the scenery charming and not too girly. Wyatt was happy anywhere, as long as Kai was there. Well, almost anywhere.

“So, are we practicing Beyblade techniques today?” Wyatt asked, as they strolled slowly down the walkway.

“Actually, I wanted to talk about something else.” Kai admitted. 

Wyatt looked at him curiously.

“While you’ve been away, I’ve been thinking about you… a lot.”

Wyatt felt his heart skip a beat. 

“It feels weird to admit it, but I missed you. Everyday.” Kai told him, honestly.

“ _ You _ missed me?” Wyatt asked for confirmation. “But I’m just a nobody. I missed  _ you _ , Kai! Why would someone as cool as you notice when I’m gone?”

“Believe it or not, Wyatt, it’s really noticeable when you’re not around.” Kai figures out how to say this out loud. “You’re always so upbeat, and you act like I’m the most amazing person in the world, and I don’t deserve that.” Kai’s own family never treated him with anything close to the affection that Wyatt gives him. 

“Of course you deserve that!” Wyatt replies, surprised. “I thought you were cool when I first heard of your beyblading skills, but… when I finally met you, you were even cooler than I imagined! You’re so nice, strong, and brave! And you don’t act like it, but you really care about your friends!”

“You see me differently than anyone else,” Kai says, “That’s just the way you are about everything, isn’t it? You’re such an optimist. You’re so outgoing. The polar opposite of me. That’s what I like about you.”

“Like?” Wyatt’s heart skips a beat. _ He couldn’t possibly like me the way I like him, could he? This is Kai we’re talking about! _

Kai nods and looks at Wyatt. He wants to take his hand, but he’s scared. He gulps and looks down at his feet. “I realized… I  _ like  _ you, Wyatt. As more than a friend.” He can feel himself sweating as he awaits Wyatt’s reply. He can’t help but think… what if he’s wrong? What if he misinterpreted Wyatt’s feelings, and he doesn’t actually like him the same way?

All of Kai’s doubt disappeared when he suddenly felt Wyatt’s soft, warm lips pressing against his. His eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Wyatt backed up and blushed. “S-Sorry,” he stuttered, “I didn’t mean to force myself on you! I was just so happy! I mean, I… I love you too, Kai! I’ve loved you all along!”

The two gazed at each other, happily. Then suddenly, Wyatt saw something out of the corner of his eye. His smile faded, and his eyes grew wide with fear. Kai backed up and looked at Wyatt. The boy was trembling. He looked just like he did the day he was possessed by the cyber bitbeast. 

“Wyatt, what’s wrong?” Kai asked. The concern in his voice was palpable. Wyatt didn’t answer. He stared off into the distance. Kai followed his stare. Past the trees was a cliff overlooking a forest. It took Kai a second to realize why this would frighten Wyatt. And then it hit him. It looked like Doctor B’s island. It looked like the place where Wyatt fought Dunga, using Cyber Dranzer… the place where Wyatt lost his sanity and almost lost his life. 

Wyatt held his head and started screaming. He hunched over as if in physical pain. 

“Wyatt, it’s okay!” Kai tried to assure him. He put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He yelled at himself for bringing Wyatt here. He should’ve considered the similarity to the place Wyatt almost died. “Let’s go,” Kai said, as he tried taking his hand to lead him back the way they came, but the boy wouldn’t budge. Instead Kai swept him off his feet and carried him back. 

Wyatt had passed out from stress. He awoke on Kai’s couch. “I’m so sorry, Kai,” Wyatt said, as if he had done something wrong.

Kai wiped his eyes, hoping Wyatt couldn’t see how worried he had been. “It’s not your fault, Wyatt. It’s mine. I should’ve known not to bring you there. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, it’s me,” Wyatt suggested, “I may have lied about being completely better. I’m still sick. Sometimes memories of that day will just pop back into my head out of nowhere. It still hurts a lot. It’s like I’m still possessed.”

“You aren’t possessed,” Kai assures him, as he kneels down next to the sofa and takes his hand. “You’re still you. I can tell.”

“But in that moment, I felt like I was possessed again,” Wyatt explained. “It felt like Cyber Dranzer was taking over again. My head felt like it was splitting open. It’s happened before, and it’s going to happen again. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

“Well, too bad, kid,” Kai said, bluntly. “I’m not leaving you. Especially when you need me.” Kai brought Wyatt’s small hand up to his lips and kissed it.

Wyatt felt warm all over. “Kai, I-” he blushed, at a loss for words. 

“You’re still recovering, Wyatt,” the gray haired boy explained, “it’s normal for a traumatic event to affect you like this. It might never fully go away, but as long as you have friends to fight it with you, you’ll be able to get through it. I’ve had my share of trauma, too. Sometimes I still get nightmares of when I was in Russia.”

“In Russia?” Wyatt repeated. He had heard that Kai had trained in Russia, but he knew nothing of his experience in Boris’s abbey. Kai explained this to Wyatt in as much detail as he could muster, trying not to make his own nightmares resurface. He even explained his falling out with his father.

“I’m so sorry, Kai,” Wyatt says after the story is over. “I had no clue you’d been through all that.”

“I still have post traumatic stress. It just pops up once in a while, like you said,” Kai explains. “The experience is so ingrained in me.” Kai scoffs before adding “that’s probably why my personality is so messed up.”

“You aren’t messed up!” Wyatt whines at him, as if he’s personally offended. “There’s nothing wrong with your personality, Kai!”

“You don’t have to pretend. I ain’t exactly a nice guy,” Kai confesses. 

“Well, you _ sure _ are to me!” the other exclaims. “You’ve saved me multiple times! Others might think you’re unfriendly because you like to keep your distance. But I can see that you’re just shy ‘cause you’re afraid to get hurt! But you don’t have to be afraid, Kai! I can help you fight your fears!”

“What the heck?” Kai says, as he turns to the side in an attempt to wipe the coming tears from his eyes before Wyatt sees. “Here I am, trying to comfort  _ you _ , and you’re giving  _ me  _ a pep-talk!”

“Well, I’ve always been good at being peppy!” Wyatt says with a big smile.

“Got that right,” Kai responds, while ruffling Wyatt’s brown hair.

Wyatt’s brown eyes look straight into Kai’s gray ones. “I love you, Kai.”

“I love you too, Wyatt.” Kai says.

Wyatt giggles. “See?” he asks, “I’m breaking you out of your shell, already!” 

“Yeah,” Kai realizes, “I guess you are.”

Wyatt pulls Kai down for a kiss, and Kai gets lost in the warmth of it, letting his wall of ice melt away.

**Author's Note:**

> I almost added a scene at the end of this all being a dream, when Wyatt is really dead, but... We already have that in the anime, so I'd rather him be alive in this version. I think I'll continue this later to see where their relationship goes. :) As with all of my fics, I just write the first thing that pops into my mind and don't bother checking my tenses. It feels good to just go with the flow.


End file.
